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 The 2009 WSU seniors and their parents on Senior Day. |
May 10, 2009
Ashland, Ohio - The 2009 Wayne State University softball season came to an end Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the Midwest Regional #1. The Warriors rallied from deficits of 1-0 (after 1/2 inning) and 3-1 (after an inning-and-a-half), only to see the University of Indianapolis (34-18 overall) score the final three runs for a 6-4 win over WSU.
Despite the setback, the Warriors recorded the third-most wins in school history (40) and had four individual players etch their name into the GLIAC record book. Freshman designate player Alison Allen finished with 11 home runs which is tied-for-9th in GLIAC history. Freshman first baseman Becca Ryan recorded 390 fielding putouts the sixth best mark in conference history. Junior shortstop Jaci Banton was credited with 140 fielding assists, the 10th-place total in league history. Junior pitcher Casey Hanes put her name in the record book in four places -- 2nd in innings pitched (274.0), tied-for-second in wins (30), sixth in strikeouts (283) and tied-for-seventh in saves (7).
The season finale was a see-saw affair with both squads flexing their muscle at the plate as the teams combined for 22 hits.
The Greyhounds scored once in the top of the first on a hard grounder off the third baseman's glove, a chopper in front of the plate and an RBI single to left center.
The Warriors responded in the bottom of the frame as Allen led off with a double to center field on the first pitch. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Amanda Van't Wout's hard bouncer up the middle and into center field advanced Allen to third where she scored on Rebecca Stanley's sacrifice fly.
UI scored twice in the second on an infield single followed by two outs then an RBI single to center and an RBI single to right field.
Not to be out done, WSU took its only lead of the game in the bottom of the second. Ryan had a one-out single to right and Banton followed with a single through the left side. After a strikeout, Rachel Spaccarotelli drilled a 3-2 pitch over the center field fence for a 4-3 Warrior lead.
A walk followed by two singles in the top of the third produced the tying run for the Greyhounds.
The next five half-innings were scoreless despite both teams leaving the bases loaded once. UI loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth, but two strikeouts sandwiched around a fielder's choice prevented the go-ahead run. Three of WSU's first four batters in the fifth singled but a fielder's choice and a strikeout, despite the batter asking for time (which was not granted), left the bases loaded.
In the top of the sixth, UI's lead-off batter singled on the first pitch and Maggie Swanson hit a 1-2 pitch over the right center field fence for the game's final runs.
WSU went 1-2-3 in the sixth as did UI in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, Lisa Seymour singled to center field but a foul out, a fielder's choice and a ground out ended the contest.
Hanes (30-9) allowed six earned runs on 12 hits (both season highs) with seven strikeouts and three walks. UI hurler Megan Russell (17-9) surrendered four earned runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts.
Five Warriors saw their final collegiate action in the NCAA Regionals -- second baseman Lisa Seymour, center fielder Sarah Teller, right fielder Amanda Van't Wout, and utility players Laura Maiorana and Lauren Warkentien.
WSU will return 11 letterwinners in 2010 for head coach Gary Bryce's 29th season at the helm. Plus Brittany Omelanchuk will be a redshirt freshman after being injured in the seventh game of 2009.
